These Tales We Tell, By the Fireside
by late-stranger
Summary: Ginny Weasey is alone on Christmas Eve, until Draco Malfoy appears at her door with an unusual story and a startling change of heart. G/D. One-shot


Ginny Weasley is alone on Christmas Eve, until a much changed Draco Malfoy shows up at her door with an unusual story, and a surprising message.

_**These Tales We Tell, By the Fire Side**_

Ginerva Weasley wrapped herself up in a blanket, shoved her feet deep into her fuzziest slippers, and carefully positioned herself in her favorite, lumpy armchair closest to the fireplace, where a cheery blaze already danced. She was tired, and, until recently, cold, having been out in the gusting storm for quite a while. She had walked home instead of apparating because her father insisted that each of his children, the year they completed their education, live a full week as a Muggle, so that they could appreciate their own way of life more. He even had put them each alone in a house. Bill, Charlie, and Percy had stayed in a vacationing Muggle's place when they finished school, and Fred and George had escaped by buying their own home too quickly and then complaining that they couldn't leave their developing business. Ron and Ginny had to use Mr. and Mrs. Granger's vacation home. In the mountains.

This was why the fire had been started with newspaper, and why Ginny was recovering from extreme cold. Yeah, her dad. She was enjoying the experiment, though, when she wasn't being frozen to death on the walk home from the Jewish grocery store on Christmas Eve, but this was her last night alone, and she planned to have fun- she couldn't move out for awhile yet. She had even hung some Christmas stockings she had found in the attic on the mantle, even though she would be going home for the holiday. Curling up in front of a fire she had raised herself under a hand-made blanket was heaven. Until, of course, she was torn from her dream-like peace by a knock on the door.

Irritated, Ginny got up to answer the door. She couldn't fathom who would knock on the Granger's door in the middle of a blizzard on Christmas Eve, knowing full well that only their daughter's boyfriend's sister was home. Nevertheless, she tried to make herself semi-presentable. She was wrapped in a blanket, wearing a wool Weasley sweater and pajama pants, with her hair everywhere, not in any particular fashion. Her pale face was flushed and her slippers were a non-descript sort of tan. In short, she was gorgeous in that un-prepared type of way.

Still muttering angrily about having to leave the fireside, she yanked the door open, looking like an angry angel, and muffled a shriek of surprise. There, looking very old and world-weary on her temporary doorstep was Draco Malfoy.

"Malfoy, it's Christmas Eve, and I am not in the mood for your crap!"

She went to slam the door, before taking note of his patched and worn- looking coat, pants, and shoes. He put his toe in the door.

"Weasley- Ginny please let me in. I'm freezing, quite literally."

"Malfoy, I was born and raised solely to hate you, you've been nothing but a bully since we first met, and now you expect me to let you in to my temporary residence? How did you even know I was here?" Ginny was very upset. Regardless of whether he went away or not, her peace and relaxation was completely ruined.

"I'll tell you if you let me in. Please?"

"No, Malfoy, okay? What part of 'go away' don't you understand?" She successfully slammed the door.

Ginny began to shuffle back to her chair, muttering angrily again. But she had barely made it back when a snowball hit the window. She turned around to see Malfoy looking- could it be- pleadingly at her. Mouthing 'no' at him, she turned around to continue her quest to the chair.

No sooner had she reached it another window was assaulted, and ignored. Then it happened again, and again, and again. Each snowball was ignored, more and more uneasily. Ginny was mystified as to why Draco Malfoy wanted admission to her residence so much, and could find no peace for it.

How had he even known she was here? Out of the Hogwarts crew, only Harry, Hermione, and her family knew she was away from home, and the Muggles had been informed by the Grangers that a young woman would be using the house for a week. No one would or could tell him she in particular was here. And why the hell was he in a patched coat and pants, with holes in his gloves, hat and shoes? How did he even _get_ holey shoes?

Ginny knew that he had won, even before the doorbell rung a second time, after his attempts had ceased for a couple of minutes. She was simply too curious. Cursing this curiosity that had already ruined her Christmas Eve, she went to open the door.

"Fine, Malfoy. Come in, but I expect nothing but respect and _all_ of my questions must be answered _honestly_."

He smiled, and Ginny jumped. She hadn't realized that she had only ever seen him wearing a smirk. She noticed that he wasn't smirking in victory, or any of his usual expressions. He was actually _smiling_ now. But Ginny caught herself before she followed that train of thought farther. She was determined to be cold, hard, and emotionless. However, she wasn't a Weasley woman for nothing. Looking her guest up and down, she matter-of-factly took in his ragged appearance. "Hot chocolate, roasted chestnuts and a place by the fire" was the doctor's orders. Only afterward did Ginny realize what she had just said. Well, at least Mum would be proud, she thought. Which, of course, brought her thoughts back to the burning questions at hand, but she obeyed her instincts and shuffled off to put on a pot of water and gather a roasting basket and nuts.

As she quietly stirred the mix into the pot, Ginny tried to imagine any reason for Malfoy's presence, and came up blank. It simply made no sense. And his clothes- the Malfoys always got the best of everything. Bustling around, she frowned, a little concerned. Finally, she resolved to ask rather than contemplate. She gathered her mugs and the basket of chestnuts, and walked back to the fireside. Putting the basket over the fire and one mug on the table next to the other chair, she sat and turned to face her wayward guest.

"So, Malfoy, I have some questions for you. They are to be answered honestly and completely." He nodded, taking a long sip of hot chocolate. "Why are you here?"

He settled in the chair, wrapped a blanket around his shoulders, and stared into the fire. "A number of reasons," he began. He seemed tired, and the firelight brought out shadows and lines that shouldn't have plagued his face for years yet. "I couldn't bring myself to beg shelter from Harry Potter, even though I did speak to him. I came to apologize to you, and tell you something, but please don't ask me what it is yet. I don't think I'm ready to say it.

"Fine," she responded curtly, though slightly softened by the mention of an apology. "How did you know I was here?"

"Harry Potter told me" Draco answered shortly. He didn't seem to want to refer to his former rival and now acquaintance by his last name only, but couldn't bring himself to use first names either.

If Ginny was surprised, she didn't show it, but she had no need to bother hiding her emotions. Draco was intent on the fire, and the chestnuts roasting there. "It's Christmas Eve" she continued after a brief pause. "Why aren't you with your family?"

He gave a hollow laugh. "Harry Potter is the closest thing I have to family now. The Malfoys disowned me last week. Sirius Black was my mother's cousin, and though he wasn't a Potter by blood, he was damn close."

Shocked, Ginny found it difficult to keep up her hard charade. "Why did they disown you?"

Another laugh, just as humorless. "I finally saw what you and your family have seen all along- that muggles are just as good as wizards."

"Who are you and what the hell have you done with Draco Malfoy?"

"Oh, his parents sent him on a world tour, like they did in the old days. He came back a different person." Sensing Ginny's further questions, he continued "I went all around the world, meeting and observing wizards and Muggles alike. In China, I got jumped on a highway by a band of criminal wizards. They took everything I had on me, except my wand. There's a taboo in China; touching someone else's wand without permission is completely forbidden. Even criminals refuse to sink that low. Anyway, a Muggle found me on his way back to his village from the city. They were dirt poor- didn't even have enough food to feed their own, but they took me in and healed me as best they could. They took care of me and fed me what they could as well. I had suffered serious injuries on the road. In return, I worked for them, and I did a little magic on their fields, to make them easier to plow and nicer for plants. I even multiplied the crops already growing. They adopted me, sort of. I stayed there even when I was due to leave for Australia and Japan. I'll go there too someday, once I earn enough to get a broom or get good enough to Apparate around the globe. When I got back, I started describing my stay in the village rhapsodically to the whole family. When I mentioned it was all Muggle, they disowned me and sent me away with 10 galleons to get transferred to Muggle money, since I loved them so much. I didn't even get a Christmas card." He added dryly, almost as a joke.

Serious again, he continued "Apparently, we get a good exchange rate, so I could afford these clothes. Then I went around to all the people I hated for being Muggle-born or blood traitor or poor in school. I apologized and explained. Your dad forgave me and the more level headed of your brothers. Harry Potter and Hermione Granger did too. We aren't best friends, but we have reached a truce."

"Oh" said Ginny. She was a little freaked out. She could tell that Malfoy, no, Draco was telling the truth, and she didn't know what to make of it.

"I'm sorry, Ginny, for all the crap I gave you in school. I was young, ignorant, and lapping up my parents' beliefs. I didn't – couldn't – think for myself. I'm my own person now, and not my parents'. Can we start over? Put school behind us? Please?"

Ginny considered briefly. She believed him, and couldn't change that. "Hi," she answered with a grin, "My name is Ginny Weasley."

He gave another smile that made Ginny's stomach flutter a little. "Hello Ginny. I'm Draco Malfoy. How do you do?

"And Ginny," he continued "I'm ready to tell you the other thing I came here to say."

"What's that?" She was listening now, without old prejudices.

"I think I might love you."

Church bells rang for the beginning of midnight mass, interrupting the shocked comment that was otherwise sure to follow. He looked nervous, she observed, almost scared. She thought of the fluttering in her stomach when he smiled. She thought of his ratty clothes, his face, so much older than it should be, and his clearly heartfelt apology and story. She thought of how different he was from his younger, ignorant, arrogant counterpart.

He spoke again, before she could. "I realized it when I was healing in the village. I was thinking about how prejudiced I had been, and how wrong I was about Muggles. I was bedridden, so I had a lot of time alone, to think. I thought of all the people I was probably wrong about too, and I couldn't keep my thoughts away from you. I kept feeling fluttery every time your name went through my mind. I talked to the local wise woman when she next came to see me. She told me it was love. It made sense, so I believed her. Please don't be hasty, Ginny. Don't judge me too fast, like I did to so many people years ago."

Ginny paused. She thought about the time when she crushed on Harry. She remembered the fluttery feeling she used to get, the one that had been missing since Dumbledore's funeral. She spoke carefully. "That fluttery feeling in your stomach, like when someone smiles at you in just the right way, that's love?"

"According to the wise woman, and a whole village trusts her for guidance and advice."

"Then – and I can't believe I'm saying this – I think you're worth the risk."

As if by a magnetic force, Ginny Weasley and Draco Malfoy were drawn across the room, chestnuts going black and hot chocolate gone cold, Christmas cards aside, to seal the Christmas miracle with a kiss.

_**The End**_


End file.
